In This Issue
SCFC News
Safety
Community
Adventure
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Welcome New Members
Zareef Ahmed
Ubaid Dhiyan
Volodymyr Lukashevych
Thomas Polley
Alex Rossie
Thomas Yarbrough
Member Achievements
Teddy Seligman
Private Pilot
CFI Lukasz Zoromski
Isabella Sugden
Private Pilot
CFI Sydney Rapp
Stuart Hoover
Private Pilot
CFI Daniel Sanchez Ruiz
Arun Moorthy
First Solo
CFI Derek Vejby
Ethan Lindstrom
Private Pilot
CFI Daniel Sanchez Ruiz
Reid Vaughan
Private Pilot
CFI Stephen Heesacker
Patrick Connaughton
First Solo
CFI Kyle Smathers
Sharon Gradwohl
First Solo
CFI Kyle Smathers
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A fun monthly
knowledge test.
Editor: Herb Patten
1. What is the official way to report a PiRep?
a) Contact Tower
b) Contact FSS
c) Contact ATC
2. What does the following PiRep entry mean: /SK OVC003-TOP013?
a) Overcast clouds from 300 AGL to 1,300 AGL
b) Overcast clouds from 300 MSL to 1,300 MSL
c) Overcast clouds from 3000 MSL to 13,000 MSL
3. Turbulence that causes changes in altitude and/or attitude while still maintaining positive control is known as
a) light.
b) moderate.
c) intense.
(answers at the bottom)
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Upcoming SCFC Events and Safety Seminars |
Oct 2 (Sat) 12pm
Oct 6 (Wed) 7pm
Oct 9 (Sat) 12pm
Oct 13 (Wed) 7pm
Oct 16 (Sat) 12pm
Oct 20 (Wed) 7pm
Oct 23 (Sat) 12pm
Oct 27 (Wed) 7pm
Oct 30 (Sat) 12pm
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Upcoming
Events & Trips
Airport of the Month
Castle Air Museum Open Cockpit Day
FOG Lunch at Half Moon Bay
FMF: Hollister
FOG Shelter Cover Getaway
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Member Rates
C182 - TAA
N1483L - $238/hr
N182EE - $234/hr
C182 - Analog
N9894E - $195/hr
C172S - G1000
N63251 - $180/hr
N6198N - $180/hr
N646DW - $172/hr
C172S
N106RA - $165/hr
N137ME - $165/hr
N21591 - $165/hr
N236SP - $165/hr
N410BS - $165/hr
N458SP - $165/hr
C172R
N2370F - $154/hr
C152
N111RK - $125/hr
N530CA - $125/hr
N5369H - $121/hr
C210
N210VV - $350/hr
Piper Archer
N6848J - $163/hr
Piper Saratoga
N349MA - $315/hr
Baron
N169SP - $350/hr
Simulators
AATD G1000 - $75/hr
BATD GNS-430W - $40/hr
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Contact Us
Front Desk
(650) 946-1700
SCFC Maintenance
(650) 946-1701
Email Us
Club Address
795 Skyway Rd, Suite A
San Carlos, CA 94070
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Pop Quiz Answers
1. b
2. b
3. b
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Private Pilot Ground School - Tue Oct 12 |
San Carlos Flight Center offers a 12-week Private Pilot Ground School four times a year. The fall cycle begins anew with Lesson 1 on Aerodynamics and Airplanes on Tuesday, October 12th.
This ground school program is widely known to be the most thorough and effective ground training program in the SF Bay Area, bringing in student pilots for other clubs and airports. Space is limited. If you are interested in starting your journey, call the SCFC front desk team to register at (650) 946-1700.
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SCFC Offers Aircraft Maintenance Services to SQL Airplane Owners |
SCFC is pleased to announce that we are opening our hangar doors to the SQL community. The same high quality maintenance services we use on our own fleet is now available to the public. |
Contact SCFC Maintenance at (650) 946-1701 to schedule your next service and keep your aircraft flying! Find out more here.
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Aircraft Keybooks Back in Use |
One of the changes made in response to COVID-19 was the removal of the keybooks for dispatching airplanes. The information that was in the keybooks were moved online. This information included among other things log of the recent VOR check, information about the unique aspect of the airplane, and emergency contact lists.
While we are still going to use our current process for dispatching airplanes, we are bringing back the keybooks. The keybook will be in a small binder that will remain with the airplane. You should expect to see these show up in our fleet in the coming weeks.
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Becoming an SCFC Flight Instructor |
Since we began flying again in the summer of 2020, there has been a strong increase in demand for flight training. To keep up with the demand, SCFC is happy to welcome two new CFIs to our team, starting Monday, October 4th. Please welcome Tyler Sorensen and Terry Kelley. |
We regularly bring in the best new instructors in the country and put them through solid SCFC training on our methods and techniques. If you are a passionate CFI and looking to join our growing team, apply here.
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When the Runways Lights Are Out |
San Carlos airport runway lights are controlled by the tower when the tower is open and revert to pilot controlled lighting when the tower is closed. Recently there have been problems with the runway lights at San Carlos airport. If you check NOTAMs you may see “SVC PCL RWY 12/30 REDL U/S”. Translated that means the pilot controlled runway edge lighting is out-of-service.
San Carlos Airport managers have changed procedures so that the runway lights should remain on during the night, however our members have reported returning to find that the lights are not on and don’t always come on when activated. If this happens on one of your flight, please report it to chiefpilot@sancarlosflight.com. An alternative if this happens to you is to divert to PAO where the runway lights are on all night.
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Towers at Non-Towered Airports??? |
Pilots may be surprised to learn that temporary towers can be implemented at non-towered airports on short notice. Northern California has experienced several of these this fall. So why do they exist, how do I find out about them and what impact do they have on flight?
Both Sacramento McClellan (MCC) and South Lake Tahoe (TVL) have temporary towers. These were established in the wake of the California wildfire crisis, as the increased fire-fighting operations combined with GA traffic led to conditions that warranted ATC services. To keep the fire crews moving, ATC was brought in to help streamline the flow of traffic and make it easier to get fire-fighting aircraft in and out of the area.
Due to the temporary nature of these towers, you won't see these listed on VFR charts, instead you will find details of them in NOTAMs. The NOTAM will contain the hours of operation, the tower frequency as well as the expected duration of the temporary tower. Temporary towers can also appear for special events, such as the annual Dream Machine event at Half Moon Bay.
It is important to know that the temporary tower does not by itself change the airspace. In the case of MCC and TVL, they are still class E airspace. FAR 91.127 contains the operational details which require that aircraft must be in two-way radio communication prior to 4 nautical miles from the airport, up to and including 2,500 feet AGL.
This highlights the importance of completing a thorough preflight briefing before departure, so you aren't caught off guard when you arrive at your destination.
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What the Heck is "PWINO"? |
Put Water IN October? Purchase Winter Items Next October? Close but PWINO in aviation speak means Present Weather Information Not Operating/Available. If you have checked the WX or listened to the AWOS at KHAF you may have seen this. What does this mean? Present weather information is precipitation, obscurations, and other weather phenomena. For awhile the AWOS was not working at KHAF at all. Now it has been returned to service, but the sensor that detects rain, mist, fog, etc., is still inoperative. |
SCFC Member Profile: Isabela Sugden |
SCFC: When did you first think about becoming a pilot?
IS: There wasn’t one moment I can pinpoint when I first wanted to become a pilot. But I have wanted to be an astronaut my whole life, and I have always been fascinated by airplanes.
SCFC: You were a recipient of the Upwind Summer Scholarship. How would you describe the 9-week program?
IS: The Upwind program was the most rewarding program I have ever been a part of. I would be lying if I said that the program was easy, but the support, structure, and thrill of the program fostered my love of flying and was incredibly exciting.
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SCFC: What flight maneuver came easy for you? What was especially challenging?
IS: While I don’t necessarily consider it a maneuver, radio communication always came easy for me. My family likes to think this is the result of years of enunciation practice from musical theater. Landings were especially challenging, but I always tried my best to stay positive, and I could definitely find my self improving very slowly but surely.
SCFC: What is your next adventure in aviation likely to be?
IS: Small scale, I want to get my C172 checkout soon so that I can fly more than one passenger (my parents and friends are really pushing for this one). But I would also love to get my instrument rating sometime in the near future.
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SCFC: How does being a Private Pilot change your perspective on your senior year in high school?
IS: Being a private pilot reminds me of my dreams, and to never give up. Especially when I am having a bad week in school, it is a good reminder that dreams can be reached, and that good things come from hard work.
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Meet the Palo Alto Tower Manager |
On Saturday, October 2, join Air Traffic Manager, Brain Fisher as he leads a discussion on aircraft operations at Palo Alto Airport. With hundreds of operations a day, Palo Alto is the busiest airport in the Bay Area. Amongst ongoing construction, new taxiways, complicated airspace, and dense traffic, Palo Alto brings a unique set of challenges for any pilot. In this seminar, Brain will explain how to safely operate your aircraft, highlight ATC expectations of pilots, and provide an overview of airport procedures.
Tune into this livestreamed FAA Safety Seminar here. If you have any questions about Palo Alto Airport operations, procedures, airspace, or general questions for an Air Traffic Controller, join us for this seminar to improve our communications.
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Thank you to the 130+ attendees who joined us at our end-of-summer barbeque last weekend! We enjoyed seeing you and catching up on all of your adventures and hoped you enjoyed the food and special attractions. |
Events like these remind us that we have the best members and community, as we wouldn't be here without all of your support. |
Castle Air Museum Open Cockpit Day - Oct 2 (Sat) |
Tomorrow, October 2nd is Open Cockpit Day! Castle Air Museum has a wide variety of historic aircraft, and on two days per year, the museum allows visitors to visit the inside of normally off-limits aircraft! Let’s spend a Saturday viewing the insides of these magnificent aircraft, as well as the exteriors in the museum’s beautiful outdoor setting.
The museum is conveniently located next to Castle Airport, which as a former B-52 Air Force base, boasts one of the longest runways in California. It boasts numerous instrument approaches should you wish to spend some extra time resetting your instrument currency before or after the museum visit. After landing, park at Gemini Flight Support (offering no ramp fees to FOG pilots) and walk fifteen minutes to the museum.
The air museum opens at 9 AM and closes at 4 PM, so feel free to arrive anytime within that window. The museum is fairly large, so plan to stay at least a few hours. It also is mostly outside, so please bring water and sunscreen. Afterward, grab fuel with the FBO, and enjoy a leisurely flight home.
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Full-Moon Flyers: Hollister - Oct 20 |
Fall is here, and with the cooler temperatures comes earlier nightfall. Need to practice night flying, or just want to gain more experience at night? Come join us for dinner at Seabrisas Eatery in Hollister (CVH) on October 20th at 7 PM.
On the way down, soak in the gorgeous sunset over the coastal mountains before descending into Hollister Airport. Make sure to remain clear of the San Jose final approach course, and consider talking to NorCal Approach to have an extra set of eyes looking out for you. Park in transient parking, and then walk across the street to the local airport restaurant – Seabrisas! A local favorite for many pilots in the area, they’re known for their unique flavors and vegetables grown from many of the local farms.
After dinner, Hollister is a great place to work on night landings or fly to San Jose (SJC) to complete your night requirements there. With big runways, it’s easy to make the landings to a stop-and-go, and you’ll enjoy the challenge of flying alongside jet traffic.
If you would like to go, please register here.
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FOG Shelter Cove Getaway - Oct 23 (Sat) |
Perhaps the most remote and hidden airport in California, Shelter Cove (0Q5) is a small outcropping with cliffs on one side of the town, and the Pacific Ocean on the other three sides. What would be a five-hour drive can be accomplished with an easy flight from the Bay Area. Follow the coastline after overflying the Golden Gate Bridge, bypassing small airports like Ocean Ridge and Little River, and then descend towards Shelter Cove, which will appear like an aircraft carrier off your nose. As one gets closer, the shoreline cliffs will be taller than your airplane and don’t get distracted by the crashing waves on short final.
After landing, park on the southern side of the airport and enjoy the ocean sounds and the fresh smell of the nearby forest.Shelter Cove is walkable, so we’ll first grab lunch as a group at The Fish Tank before exploring the local area. North of the airport are black sand beaches, and we can hike alongside them. Take in the views while enjoying the sunshine and sea breeze. Some may appreciate the many tide pools, where an abundance of small creatures can be seen at low tide. Or bring some golf clubs and play a round of golf at the course right between the airport and the ocean!
Finally, please plan to bring extra chocks and/or ropes for securing your aircraft. There may be some ropes at the airport, but there is no guarantee. If you’re flying a Flight Center aircraft, please let the Front Desk know if you need any extra supplies. This is a popular airport and trip, so please make sure to book your plane early and RSVP. We look forward to seeing you on the trip.
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